Missing 1-2 Hours Of Sleep Doubles Crash Risk

Dec 10, 2016 06:42AM
● Published by Theresa Gilman

Drowsy Driving

(Editor's Note:
this content was provided by AAA Northeast.)

Drivers who miss
between one to two hours of the recommended seven hours of sleep in a 24-hour
period nearly double their risk for
a crash, according to new research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that 35 percent of U.S.
drivers sleep less than the recommended seven hours daily. And with drowsy
driving involved in more than one in five fatal crashes on U.S. roadways each
year, AAA warns drivers that getting less than seven hours of sleep may have
deadly consequences.

“You cannot miss
sleep and still expect to be able to safely function behind the wheel,” said Mary
Maguire, Director of Public and Legislative Affairs for AAA Northeast. “The new
research shows that a driver who has slept for less than five hours has a crash
risk comparable to someone driving drunk.”

The AAA Foundation
for Traffic Safety’s report, AcuteSleep Deprivation and Risk of Motor Vehicle Crash Involvement, reveals that drivers missing 2-3 hours
of sleep in a 24-hour period more than quadrupled their risk of a crash
compared to drivers getting the recommended seven hours of sleep. This is the
same crash risk the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration associates
with driving over the legal limit for alcohol.

The AAA Foundation
reportfound that in a 24-hour
period, crash risk for sleep-deprived drivers increased steadily when compared
to drivers who slept the recommended seven hours or more:

Six to seven hours of sleep: 1.3
times the crash risk

Five to six hours of sleep: 1.9
times the crash risk

Four to five hours of sleep: 4.3
times the crash risk

Less than four hours of sleep:
11.5 times the crash risk

While 97 percent of
drivers told the AAA Foundation they view drowsy driving as a completely
unacceptable behavior that is a serious threat to their safety, nearly one in
three admit that at least once in the past month they drove when they were so
tired they had a hard time keeping their eyes open.

“Managing a healthy
work-life balance can be difficult and far too often we sacrifice our sleep as
a result,” said Ms. Maguire. “Failing to maintain a healthy sleep schedule
could mean putting yourself or others on the road at risk.”

Symptoms of drowsy driving can include having trouble
keeping eyes open, drifting from lanes or not remembering the last few miles
driven. However, more than half of
drivers involved in fatigue-related crashes experienced no symptoms before
falling asleep behind the wheel. AAA urges drivers to not rely on their
bodies to provide warning signs of fatigue and should instead prioritize
getting plenty of sleep (at least seven hours) in their daily schedules. For longer trips, drivers should also:

Travel at times when normally
awake

Schedule a break every two hours
or every 100 miles

Avoid heavy foods

Travel with an alert passenger and
take turns driving

Avoid medications that cause
drowsiness or other impairment

The AAA Foundation report is based on the analysis of a
representative sample of 7,234 drivers involved in 4,571 crashes. All data is
from the NHTSA’s National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey which comprised
a representative sample of police-reported crashes that involved at least one
vehicle that was towed from the scene and resulted in emergency medical
services being dispatched to the scene.

AAA
Northeast is a not-for-profit auto club with 62 offices in Rhode Island,
Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire and New York, providing
more than 2 million local AAA members with travel, insurance, finance, and
auto-related services.

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